Spring 2025: Momentum and Milestones

Originally sent by Mindy Wright on April 1, 2025. This archived newsletter includes announcements and deadlines from that time.

Spring is just around the corner, and our team has been hard at work recruiting our next incredible cohort of TUP Scholars and growing our team to meet the moment. While we’ve been deep in the work of looking ahead, we also want to take a moment to reflect on the many milestones we’ve reached since the start of 2025.

From impactful programming to powerful Scholar stories, the past few months have been full of meaningful progress that reminds us why this work matters. As always, we’re grateful for your continued support and belief in our mission, it’s what makes this all possible.

Winter Workshops 2025: Reconnecting & Reigniting

Cohort VII of The Upward Project kicked off 2025 with two impactful days together at Northeastern Crossing for our Winter Workshops. This annual gathering gave Scholars the chance to reconnect with one another and the TUP team while diving into workshops focused on the summer internship search, strengthening executive functioning and time management, and participating in group therapy sessions led by Activated By Wellness.

Of course, we made space for joy and creativity too, with a paint party hosted by At Peace Arts and a celebratory group cooking session at Haley House to close out our time together.

Our first-year Scholars returned to campus this spring with renewed clarity, a deepened sense of belonging, and the powerful reminder that they are brilliant, deserving, and capable of achieving their goals.

Cohort VIII Recruitment: Priority Cycle Outcomes & Looking Ahead to Rolling

Our 2025 Priority Application Cycle brought in an incredible group of prospective Scholars, with nearly 100 applications submitted during our four-week nomination window. We were thrilled to see over 95% of pre-nominated students move forward with formal nominations and into Round 1 of our selection process.

This cycle reflected strong partnership engagement, with 45% of nominations coming from CBO leaders and 55% from school-based counselors and administrators. After several rounds of thoughtful review, 16 exceptional students advanced to Round 3 interviews. This group boasts an average SAT score of 1350 and an impressive average unweighted GPA of 4.1.

Even more inspiring, all of our Round 3 finalists are committed to four-year colleges with strong financial aid packages, including many QuestBridge Scholars. We're honored to be connecting with such high-achieving, college-bound students and excited for what’s ahead as we build our next cohort.

After a successful Priority Cycle, we’re excited to re-engage with nominators during our Rolling Cycle, which opened on March 24th for new Scholar nominations. We look forward to continuing the process and welcoming up to 20 students in our next cohort, Cohort VIII!

Scholar Spotlight: From Basketball to Banking

Photo by Matthew Modoono/Image Courtesy of Northeastern University

This month, we’re proud to spotlight Nathaniel Francois, a TUP Scholar and Northeastern University senior whose journey exemplifies resilience, growth, and authenticity. From facing academic setbacks his first semester to ultimately earning a full-time offer at J.P. Morgan, Nathaniel’s story is a powerful testament to what’s possible when talent meets support from organizations like The Upward Project.

In our first blog post, Nathaniel shared with Mindy Wright, Co-Founder and Executive Director of The Upward Project, how imposter syndrome, financial barriers, and the pressure to conform shaped his college experience, and how The Upward Project helped him stay grounded and empowered through it all.

Read Nathaniel’s full story to learn more about his journey through The Upward Project.

As we usher in a new season of growth and a new group of TUP Scholars, we want to thank you for being part of this journey with us. We’re excited for all that’s ahead and grateful to have you in The Upward Project community.

If you are interested in connecting with The Upward Project, please fill out our engagement interest form. A member of our team will reach out to you.